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Swiss Public Health Conference 2018, November 07, 2018

Posted on 2018-08-07

Our health, both as individuals and members of the society, depends on several factors, including our genetic heritage and behaviour, the environmental conditions we live in, as well as our access to quality healthcare. Even though the latter contributes only 15 to 20 percent to our health conditions, the health costs almost entirely flow to this sector, as our healthcare system is essentially oriented to providing medical care for unhealthy people. The associated steady increase in health insurance premiums is one of the biggest sources of concern for the Swiss population, especially for families, and therefore dominates the public debate on health policies.

Social sciences help us understand individual and collective health beyond the biomedical framework. They help us to understand how the social environment, concrete living conditions and behaviour influence our health. From this, public health options can be developed that can complement our health care system.

What can social sciences contribute to promoting health enhancing policies? What are the opportunities and challenges of such an approach? How do we translate recommendations into practice? These are the central questions of the Swiss Public Health Conference 2018.

The first part of the Conference will present the latest findings on health determinants. The discussion will include the Sustainable Development Goals of the U.N. 2030 Agenda and their influence on the Swiss health policy as well as on our personal behaviour. The second part of the conference analyses the policy processes around health promotion: How can scientific findings be incorporated into policy decisions and contribute to develop solutions? Finally, in the third part, successful concrete actions at the cantonal and national level are presented.

We organised a diverse program with contributions from research, practice and policy. You will meet leading scientists, such as Sir Michael Marmot, national politicians, as well as other experts from the field. We invite you to join the discussions and opportunities for knowledge exchange.

We look forward to welcoming you to the Swiss Public Health Conference 2018 in Neuchâtel!